Coupling device for interconnecting chairs and similar seating furniture into a row



June 26, 1956 w. J. KRUIJT 2,751,969

COUPLING DEVICE FOR INTERCONNECTING CHAIRS AND SIMILAR SEATING FURNITURE INTO A ROW Filed April 9, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet l wig. 2.

Inns/7 a m JFK/72f I/%5 /ne/ June 26, 1956 w J KRUIJT 2,751,969

COUPLING DEVICE FOR INTERCONNECTING CHAIRS AND SIMILAR SEATING FURNITURE INTO A ROW Filed April 9, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent Gfiice 2,751,969 Patented June 26, 1956 COUPLING DEVICE FOR INTERCONNECTING CHAIRS AVD SlIVllIAR SEATING FURNITURE INTO A ROW Willem Jan Kruijt, Niijdrecht, Netherlands Application April 9, 1954, Serial No. 422,116

8 Claims. (Cl. 155-130) The invention relates to a coupling device for interconnecting chairs and similar seating furniture into a row.

The invention has for its object to design a coupling device of this kind in such a manner that one manipulation at the end of a row of interconnected chairs is suflicient to disengage all the chairs of said row, while moreover the connection between two chairs of such a row cannot be broken by unauthorized persons.

To this end the coupling device according to the invention comprises a pawl and a spring-loaded movable catch, which are so arranged that the catch of one chair can be made to engage against the action of the spring with the pawl of an adjacent chair, and is detained in said position by said pawl, thus preventing the chairs being pushed apart, and that upon the catch returning to its initial position said catch renders the pawl of its own chair inoperative either directly or indirectly.

The drawing illustrates by way of example three embodiments of the coupling device according to the invention.

Figure 1 is a vertical cross-section through two interconnected chairs, viewed from the front.

Figure 2 is a vertical cross-section on the line II--II in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a bottom view of a chair according to Figure 1.

Figure 4 is an illustration similar to Figure 1 of a second embodiment.

Figures 5 and 6 are side views of a variant of the embodiment according to Figures 1-3, in the disengaged and the coupled position respectively.

Figure 7 is a bottom view of the embodiment according to Figures 5 and 6.

In the drawing the numerals 1 and 2 designate interconnected chairs. Underneath the seats 3 of these chairs coupling devices according to the invention are fitted, each comprising a catch 4 and a pawl 5. According to Figures 1-3 the catch 4 is adapted to be swung through about 180 about a horizontal shaft 6, which is secured to the catch and can be rotated from the back of the chair by means of a key 7 fitting about the square end. Instead of the shaft having a square end, a different construction may also be used, in which a key cooperates with the shaft to be rotated. About the shaft 6 is provided a helical spring 8, which always tends to swing the catch back to the initial position underneath the chair.

When in the case of chair 2 of Figure l, viewed towards the back of the chair, the key is turned clockwise, the catch 4 will be swung from underneath the chair and will come to rest in the two slots 9 of the frames of the seats of the chairs 1 and 2. A small transverse bar It? on the catch thus comes to rest on the inside of the frame of the seat of the chair 1, as a result of which the chairs cannot be pushed apart any more. At the same time the nose of the pawl 5 of chair 1 engages below said bar, so that in spite of the force of the spring 8 the catch 4 of chair 2 cannot be swung back again. In

its turn chair No. 3 can now be coupled with chair 2, etc. The pawl 5 is so constructed that the long lever through its weight keeps the nose as much as possible in such a position that coupling is possible. The catch 4 of the same chair will tend to force up, under the action of spring 8, the pawl 5 against its weight against a small block 16, e. g. of rubber. It is therefore necessary that for the first chair of a row the pressure of the catch 4 against the pawl 5 be released. To this end an abutment 11 is provided. This abutment 11 can be forced against the action of a small leaf spring 12 into the path of movement of the catch 4. With chair 1 this has taken place, and thus the catch of said chair is prevented from returning completely to the initial position.

If now the chairs of the row have to be disengaged, the catch 4 of chair 1 is turned slightly clockwise by means of the key 7 in the manner already described. The abutment 11 is thus freed and recoils from the path of the catch, so that the catch can now return completely to the initial position under the action of its spring 8, at the same time releasing the pawl 5 of the chair 1. In fact, the catch presses against the long tail of the pawl and turns the latter, so that the nose is pulled away from underneath the bar 10 of the catch 4 of chair 2. This catch is therefore released, and under the action of its spring 8 is swung back rapidly to the initial position. Thus pawl 5 of chair 2 is released, and so on all through the row.

In the embodiment according to Figure 4 the swingable catch has been replaced by a longitudinally movable catch 4, which is also moved by a spring-loaded shaft 6, via an arm 13 on said shaft and a link 14. The catch 4 near its end has a recess 15, in which the pawl 5 of the adjacent chair is adapted to engage with its nose. Through this engagement the chairs are at the same time interconnected. The disengagement is efiected in a manner analogous to that of Figures l-3, since each catch is moved by the spring on its operating shaft to the initial position and in that position releases the pawl of its own chair, so that the catch of the next chair is also released and so on. In this embodiment, too, an abutment is adapted to detain the catch of the first chair of the row just short of its initial position, until the whole row has to be disengaged.

The embodiment according to Figures 5-7 is distinct from that according to Figures l3 in a number of modified details. Here again a catch 4 is to be seen, which is adapted to be swung through about a horizontal shaft 6 and can be made to engage with a pawl 5 of an adjacent chair, while at the same time a fixed projection 16 of said adjacent chair enters an opening 17 of the catch, so that the chairs cannot be pushed apart any more. For greater security three pawls 5 ranged side by side are present. A helical spring 8 always tends to swing the catch 4 back to its initial position underneath the chair, in which position the catch 4 does not, as in Figures l-3, cooperate directly with the pawl 5 so as to bring the latter into the inoperative position, but does so via a U-shaped bar 18, which is pivotally connected with the catch just beyond the shaft 6 and extends to below the tail 19 of the pawl 5. In the initial position the catch forces up the bar 18, and consequently the tail 19 of the pawl 5, so that the pawl becomes inoperative. The catch of an adjacent chair detained by this pawl can thus also return to its initial position and in its turn render the pawl 5 of that chair inoperative, so that in this way all the successive interconnected chairs of a row are automatically disengaged.

Because the bar 18 is connected with the catch 4 cccentrically in relation to the shaft 6, it will move underneath a fixed pin 20 upon the catch 4 being swung outwards. This pin then prevents the bar 18 being raised by unauthorized persons against the tail 19 of pawl so as to bring about a premature disengagement of the chairs. Not until the catch 4 is swung back to the initial position is the bar '18 pulled from underneath the pin and can it render the pawl 5 inoperative.

A great advantage of the use of a bar 18 is that for chairs of different breadth it is possible always to use catches and pawls of the same standard size, only the length of the bar 13 having to be adapted to the breadth of the chairs. Since the bar 1% consists of a bent piece of metal wire, the adaption of its length is extremely simple and cheap.

In order that with the first chair of the row the pawl 5 maybe rendered operative for detaining the catch of the second chair, just as in Figures 13 an abutment 11 is present, which here consists of a small plate, which is adapted to be swung about a horizontal shaft 21 with the aid of a handle 22. Owing to the weight of said handle 22 the abutment 11 is normally outside the path of movement of the bar 15. If, however, the abutment is swung round, it forces the bar 18 and the catch 4 resting against it slightly down, so that the pawl 5 comes into the operative position. The abutment 11 has a projection 23, which. extends between the two limbs of the bar 18 and engages in the opening 17 of the catch 4. i

In order to put the abutment out of operation, so that the chairs can be automatically disengaged, the catch 4 therefore has to be swung down slightly by means of a key 7 (Fig. 3) against the action of the spring 8, in order to release the projection 23 of the abutment 11. Through the weight of the handle the abutment is then swung back to its inoperative position, so that the disengagement can be efiected. Unauthorized persons cannot therefore bring about the disengagement of the chairs by swinging back the abutment.

By means of the construction described above a simple provision may be made in order to prevent the public disengaging the chairs without authorization, which is usually required by the fire-brigade. The invention is of importance in particular when in an entertainment hall, after a theatrical performance or the like, an opportunity for dancing is offered and the chairs therefore have to be removed quickly from the hall.

I claim:

1. A coupling device for interconnecting chairs and the like into rows, said device comprising for securement to each device in combination, catch means movable to an extended and a retracted position, biasing means urging said catch means toward its retracted position, movable pawl means engageable with the catch means secured to an adjacent chair when the last named catch means is moved to its extended position for detaining the latter against retraction, said first named catch means, when in its retracted position, rendering said pawl means inoperative.

2. A coupling device according to claim 1, further comprising stop means optionally engageable with said catch means for preventing movement thereof to the positicn in which it renders said pawl means inoperative.

3. A coupling device according to claim 2, said stop means comprising an abutment movable into the path of movement of said catch means, said abutment being biased to retract to a position removed from said path and being detained against such retraction'by said catch means as long as said catch means rests against said abutment.

4. A coupling device according to claim 3, said abutment and catch means comprising positive interengaging means released only by substantial movement of said catch means away from said abutment against the force of said biasing means.

5. A coupling device according to claim 1, said catch means being associated with a horizontal shaft adapted to be rotated through about to move said catch means to its extended and retracted positions, said biasing means comprising a helical spring surrounding said shaft and loadable to rotate said shaft in the direction to move said catch means to its retracted position.

6. A coupling device according to claim 5, said catch means being in the form of an arm fixed to said shaft and rotatable through 180 therewith, and said device further comprising a 'bar, pivotally connected with said arm eccentrically of said shaft, the free end of said bar acting to render said pawl means inoperative when said arm is in its retracted position.

.7. A coupling device according to claim 6, further comprising an abutment under which said bar is moved when said arm is in its extended position for preventing said bar from being actuated to render said pawl means inoperative.

8. A coupling device according to claim 1, said catch means comprising an elongated member movable in the direction of its length to its extended and retracted positions, said member having at its extended end a recess for engagement with the pawl meansof an adjacent chair, said catch means further comprising a rotatable shaft provided with crank and link means for moving said member.

References Citedin the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 636,854 Saveland Nov. 14, 1899 1,879,673 Fischer Sept. 27, 1932 FOREIGN PATENTS 6,620 Switzerland Apr. 6, 1893 207,194 Switzerland May 1, 1940 302,004 Germany Aug. 11, 1916 439,312 Germany Sept. 19, 1925 

